The zoo included a few photos with the half-birthday post, including one of a tiny Tajiri cuddling up against his mom when he was only 5 feet tall. Since then he's grown significantly and a more recent photo shows him standing confidently next to mom at nearly double that height.

Tajiri — Swahili for "hope" — and his mom April were catapulted into the upper echelon of the viral animal world when the zoo started live-streaming April's fourth pregnancy in February.

After months of waiting, April gave birth April 15 in Harpursville, New York, while an audience of hundreds of thousands watched live online. The baby was born at just under 130 pounds and more than 5 feet tall.

April teased her millions of global adorers for weeks, showing signs of near-but-not-quite labor and otherwise enchanting her audience with cute right-at-the-camera gazes and tongue flicks, snack noshing and nuzzling with her much younger but handsome 5-year-old beau, Oliver.

April's pregnancy was vaulted into global headlines in late February after YouTube briefly yanked the zoo's live stream following complaints by animal activists that it violated the site's policies concerning "nudity and sexual content." Thousands upon thousands of commenters voiced their frustration on Facebook and YouTube, and the stream was restored within an hour or so.

Zoo owner Jordan Patch said the natural curiosity surrounding giraffes and their birthing process was a huge factor in drawing crowds.

"I think the fact that she's a giraffe and she's a neat species that people are interested in, that's fostered a lot of the attention," he said. "The fact that you'll get to witness the miracle of birth from an animal that you really don't get to see give birth — that's neat."

He added that April's pregnancy was more than just live entertainment, but a teachable moment and source for education.

In Sunday's post to Facebook, the zoo said: "Thank you to his fans, for your following and support, these past 6 months and prior. Together we continue to educate the world on the awareness of giraffes and conservation - and that is something to be proud of."